Message from the Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer
Each year the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) collects taxes and delivers benefits and credits on behalf of federal, provincial, and territorial governments, interacting with more individuals and businesses than any other government department or agency. Our work helps Canadians achieve and sustain economic and social well-being. We are committed to delivering high-quality, efficient, and reliable services and to protecting the integrity of our tax system.
2011-2012 was far from a ‘business as usual' year for the CRA. We launched Vision 2020, our long term strategic direction to transform the CRA into a leaner and more productive organization, while maintaining top quality, responsive, and transparent services to citizens and to better position the CRA to meet the compliance challenges of a rapidly changing global environment. We also responded to the Red Tape Reduction Commission's mandate to identify new measures to reduce the overall administrative burden on small businesses.
"The CRA has always been committed to integrity. Living by the Agency's values and cultivating trust are more important than ever in this highly connected world."
- Linda Lizotte-MacPherson
To meet evolving fiscal and business needs, we have been careful to balance our investment in long term objectives with a focus on our core business and day to day operations. Our goal is to make it easier for taxpayers who want to comply, and more difficult for those who try to avoid their obligations. As an organization that values integrity, we also want to provide a transparent and fair response to those who disagree with our decisions.
We responded to what Canadians told us: they want their dealings with the CRA to be easy and efficient. In response, in 2011-2012, we made our Web site easier to navigate and understand, with a focus on plain language. We increased the number of service and communication options on My Business Account and My Account pages to respond to feedback from taxpayers, businesses, and their representatives, while also protecting taxpayer information and the integrity of our systems. Additionally, we completed the first stage in consolidating our information technology services into the newly formed Shared Services Canada.
At the same time, we are very much aware of how important it is to Canadians that everyone pay their fair share of taxes and receive accurate benefits and credits. In 2011-2012, we continued to address the small but persistent non-compliant population. We strengthened our risk-based approach to compliance and further developed tools to help us recognize and deal with non-compliance, both here at home and internationally. As a result of our actions, we recovered over $40 billion in tax debt over the last year.
Only a small proportion of taxpayers disagree with our service levels or our decisions, but we place the highest priority on responding fairly and accurately to these disputes. The enhancements we have put in place to centralize the distribution of disputes continued to produce improvements in redress service delivery during 2011-2012.
In submitting this report to the Minister for tabling in Parliament, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the staff of the CRA for their dedication, expertise, and professionalism. Our employees are fundamental to the CRA's ability to continue delivering excellent results that matter to Canadians.
Linda Lizotte-MacPherson
Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer
Canada Revenue Agency
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